ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Saturday recovered Intazar Ahmad Panjutha, the lawyer of former prime minister Imran Khan whose whereabouts were unknown since Oct. 8, from the eastern city of Attock.
Panjutha describes himself as Khan’s focal person on social media platform X and is one of the most prominent lawyers representing the former premier in several high-profile cases. A petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last month for Panjutha’s recovery. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party accused the government and state agencies of abducting him to put pressure on the party, a charge denied by the government.
Local media quoted District Police Officer (DPO) Dr. Ghyas Gul as saying that law enforcement stopped a suspicious vehicle in the Hassan Abdal police jurisdiction on Saturday. He said armed men inside the vehicle opened fire on police when asked to halt and later fled. Attock Police said they recovered Panjutha from inside the car.
“His name is Intizar Hussain, he was blindfolded and he had been forced to wear a mask,” a police officer can be heard saying in the video to a visibly shaken Panjutha, who can be seen in the back of a car with his feet tied.
“This is his condition, you can see his hands and feet were tied.”
In a separate video clip, Panjutha can be seen breaking down in tears at a police station where he revealed that his abductors demanded Rs20 million ($72,111] from his family as ransom.
The PTI, meanwhile, rejected the police’s version and said in a statement that it was “outraged” by the visuals of a weak Panjutha.
“His statements of being victim of violence during abduction reflect the alarming state of human rights abuses happening under the watch of the establishment and government,” the party said on social media platform X.
“Those responsible for this cruel and unlawful treatment must face justice. We are hopeful that the court will now provide justice to Intazar, one cannot stay silent and watch this rampant abuse of human rights.”
Rights groups and political parties have accused Pakistan’s powerful military and intelligence agencies of using coercive activities against rights activists and politicians. However, the military and government have both rejected these allegations and insisted they keep away from politics.
Khan, who ruled Pakistan as its premier from 2018-2022, was removed from office after a parliamentary vote in April 2022. Since then he has led an unprecedented campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s powerful military, whom he blames for colluding with his rivals to oust him from power.
Pakistan’s military has rejected his allegations repeatedly.
